| The End | |
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 US theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Joshua Oppenheimer |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Mikhail Krichman |
| Edited by | Niels Pagh Andersen |
| Music by | |
| Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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| Release date |
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| Running time | 148 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $131,528 |
The End is a 2024 apocalyptic musical film directed and co-written by Joshua Oppenheimer. Produced by Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sørensen, and star Tilda Swinton, the film also features George MacKay, Moses Ingram, Bronagh Gallagher, Tim McInnerny, Lennie James, and Michael Shannon.
The film premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on 31 August 2024. It was released by Neon in the United States on 6 December 2024.
Premise
A wealthy family lives in an underground bunker two decades after the end of the world, to which they directly contributed.
Cast
- Tilda Swinton as Mother
- Michael Shannon as Father
- George MacKay as Son
- Moses Ingram as Girl
- Bronagh Gallagher as Friend
- Tim McInnerny as Butler
- Lennie James as Doctor
- Danielle Ryan as Mary
Production
It was announced in October 2021 that Joshua Oppenheimer had set his next film at Neon, with Tilda Swinton, George MacKay and Stephen Graham set to star. In March 2023, Moses Ingram, Michael Shannon, Bronagh Gallagher, Tim McInnerny and Lennie James joined the cast, with Graham replaced by Shannon. Shannon plays the patriarch of the family in the bunker, and he both sings and dances in the role.
Filming began in Ireland in March 2023, with production also occurring in Italy and Germany. The production received €480,000 in funding from Eurimages.
Release
The film premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on 31 August 2024, and was screened in the Special Presentations program at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2024. A few days after the film's premiere at Telluride, Mubi acquired distribution rights to it for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Austria. Scandinavian Film Distribution secured rights for Denmark and Sweden.
The film was given a limited theatrical release by Neon in the United States on 6 December 2024.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 52% of 77 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "The End doesn't lack for ambition or talent, but its bold vision is ill-served by a bloated runtime and monotonous musical score." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The End requires complete submission to the off-kilter rules that govern this family and to Oppenheimer's ambitions to radicalize the musical genre. It's an admirable if uneven endeavor." Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com gave the film two and a half stars out of four and wrote, "The experiment of The End may not entirely work, but it is good that it exists."
Accolades
| Award | Ceremony date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 28 September 2024 | Golden Seashell | The End | Nominated | |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 27 October 2024 | Gold Hugo | Nominated |
References
- Debruge, Peter (2024-09-01). "The End Review: Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon Took Shelter, but 20 Years Underground Starts to Get Tedious". Variety. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- "The End (2024)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 4, 2021). "Tilda Swinton, George Mackay And Stephen Graham Board Neon Musical The End". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (March 23, 2023). "Moses Ingram, Michael Shannon, Bronagh Gallagher, Tim McInerney & Lennie James Join Joshua Oppenheimer's Neon-Backed Musical The End". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- Rapold, Nicolas (16 June 2023). "The Last Thing I Saw, Ep. 187: Michael Shannon". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- Shanahan, Luke (March 22, 2023). "Tilda Swinton and George MacKay filming The End in Ireland". Irish Film and Television Network. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- Dalton, Ben (March 30, 2022). "Joshua Oppenheimer's The End, starring Tilda Swinton, among €5.5m Eurimages funding". Screen International. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- Davis, Clayton (27 July 2024). "Telluride 2024: Literary Adaptations 'Conclave,' 'Piano Lesson' and Musicals 'Better Man,' 'The End' Expected for World Premieres". Variety. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- Wiseman, Andreas (3 September 2024). "Tilda Swinton Musical 'The End' Sells To Mubi For UK, Germany & Austria". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- Pham, Annika (23 March 2023). "Joshua Oppenheimer's The End starts filming - Scandinavian Film Distribution on board". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- Neon (September 11, 2024). ""An immensely powerful epic." Opening in select cities December 6th, THE END, the new film from Academy Award-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer, stars Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, George MacKay, and Moses Ingram" (Tweet). Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Twitter.
- "The End". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- "The End". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- Gyarkye, Lovia (1 September 2024). "'The End' Review: Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon in Joshua Oppenheimer's Ambitious, Uneven Post-Apocalyptic Musical". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- O'Malley, Sheila (December 2024). "The End". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- Taylor, Nick. "San Sebastián Announces Their Competition Slate!". The Film Experience. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- Kay, Jeremy (20 September 2024). "'All We Imagine As Light', 'The End', 'Harvest' among Chicago International Film Festival line-up (exclusive)". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 20 September 2024.